Tag: Pete & Sam’s

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Food & Wine Food & Drink

Hidden Gems at Classic Memphis Haunts

John Vergos with the Rendezvous ham-and-cheese sandwich (Photos: Michael Donahue)

If you’re like me, you usually order your favorites at your go-to restaurants.

You order the ribs and the cheese plate at the Rendezvous. Maybe lasagna or spaghetti at Pete & Sam’s.

Well, guess what? There are a lot more items on the menus at those restaurants as well as others that have been around a while. People just don’t realize they’re there.

The ham-and-cheese sandwich at the Rendezvous is something that gets overlooked, says owner John Vergos. His dad, the late Charlie Vergos, began his restaurant in 1948 with that sandwich. “Gosh, he’d sell 200 or 300 a day,” John says. “That’s what really started the restaurant going. That’s how he supported his family.”

Fineberg Packing Co. used to smoke his dad’s hams because he didn’t have the pits in those days, John says. Charlie would cut the slices of ham off the bone. Now, John says, “We don’t cut it off the bone. We haven’t been able to find a good ham to do that with. We buy boneless hams.”

The original sandwich was “ham-and-cheese on rye with either regular mustard.”

They used French’s mustard, but now customers can get French’s as well as a sweet glazed mustard that blends Tiger Tail mustard with Rendezvous seasoning.

The ham sandwich began to be overshadowed when his dad introduced ribs “sometime in the ’50s” at the Rendezvous. “We still served a lot, even up until the ’70s. Then we added a lot more different products and we just took our eye off the ball.”

They stopped making the sandwich the way Charlie made it. “We got away from it for years. We started grilling it. Not making it the way he did.”

The ham wasn’t “nice and thick in the middle.” Instead of rye bread, they served it with white bread or Texas toast and mayonnaise. “We let it slide. We didn’t take it seriously.”

About a month ago, they went back to the original way of making the sandwich. John announced, “I’m determined to serve the original ham-and-cheese sandwich the way my dad built it. Stacked the same on rye with mustard.”

Shoulder sandwich at Rendezvous

Surprisingly, another “little appreciated item” at the Rendezvous is the shoulder sandwich, John says. “I’ll match it with anyone.”

The barbecue is smoked for 12 hours, he says. “It’s all pulled by hand and minimally chopped — no fat, gristle — clean. I hate when I eat a shoulder sandwich and bite into a thumb-size piece of fat. It’s jumbo size with beans and our slaw on the side.”

Meanwhile, an item that isn’t a big seller at Mortimer’s is their “Pecan Ball,” says owner Sara Bell. It was a huge hit at the legendary Knickerbocker Restaurant, which her father, the late Vernon Bell, owned.

It’s vanilla ice cream rolled in chopped pecans with chocolate sauce. The Mortimer’s version includes whipped cream and sometimes a cherry on top.

They sell a ton of their banana pudding, but Bell doesn’t know why they don’t sell a lot of the pecan balls. “Once they try it, it’s addictive,” she says.

Another item along that same line is their Knickerbocker Shrimp Salad, Bell says. “That was huge at the Knickerbocker. It’s just shrimp with a little mayonnaise, celery, and a dash of Worcestershire. It’s like a chicken salad, but it’s made with shrimp.”

Even Pete & Sam’s includes items hidden in plain sight on the menu. Many people are surprised to discover the restaurant, which also opened in 1948, sells fried chicken, says Sammy Bomarito, one of the owners. Or steaks. “In general, people don’t necessarily think of us as a steak place,” he says. “And we’ve got some of the best steaks in the city.”

Other longtime items aren’t top sellers. “The bacon-wrapped chicken livers are one of the things we’ve had on the menu forever.”

A lot of people don’t try that, Bomarito says. “But that’s a little hidden gem, if you will.”

Stuffed celery at Pete & Sam’s

Another is the “stuffed celery,” which has been on the menu for decades. It’s celery stuffed with a bleu cheese, Gorgonzola, and mayonnaise mixture and green olives. The four celery sticks come with black olives, peppers, and lettuce with paprika sprinkled around.

Dino’s Grill is famous for its spaghetti, ravioli, and other Italian fare. But their muffuletta is another story. “People are sort of surprised we have it,” says owner Mario Grisanti.

They’ve had it on the menu for “as long as I can remember,” he says.

“We get our bread from Gambino’s [Bakery] in New Orleans, so it’s traditional muffuletta bread. And we do ours a little bit differently. We just do salami and ham and cheese. Most people do salami and mortadella with cheese. Then the olive dressing we put on top is the same dressing we put on our Italian salad. It’s green olives, black olives, banana peppers, celery, onions, oil, vinegar, and Italian seasonings.”

It’s a “New Orleans-style muffuletta. We just have our own little take on it. The way we’ve been doing it forever and ever.”

Finally, Coletta’s Italian Restaurant, which opened in 1923 at its 1063 South Parkway East location, has an extensive menu. Ravioli and its barbecue pizza are famous at Coletta’s Italian Restaurant, which opened in 1923 at 1063 South Parkway East. But not everybody is aware of other items on the menu.

“We have hamburger steaks, which are real good,” says owner Jerry Coletta. “Well, it’s basically about a half pound of ground beef we cook.”

It comes with “fries and a little slaw. And that’s a good meal. Not many people get it.”

Also, he says, “A lot of people don’t know we sell hot wings and honey wings. And they’re real good.”

In other words, in addition to your knife and fork, bring along a magnifying glass and dig into your menus when you go out to eat.

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Best Bets: Stuffed Celery (and Cool T-shirts) at Pete & Sam’s

The delicious stuffed celery appetizer and a great T-shirt were two recent discoveries at Pete & Sam's. (Credit: Gabe Roberts)

I recently discovered two things I didn’t know about Pete & Sam’s Italian restaurant.

The stuffed celery I’ve seen on the menu for decades is absolutely delicious.

And they have a great T-shirt bearing a picture of the late Sam Bomarito as “The Godfather” from the 1972 movie of the same name.

First, the stuffed celery. Someone in the group I was with recently ordered it. It comes with black olives, peppers, and lots of lettuce with paprika sprinkled around. You get four celery sticks.

I was blown away. I took a photo and posted it on Facebook. As of this writing, that post has 222 “likes,”  69 comments, and four shares. And you know how we all like “likes.”

I called Sammy Bomarito, one of the restaurant owners, to ask him about the history of their stuffed celery and the T-shirts with the picture of his father, one of the founders of the restaurant.

The gorgonzola cheese-based celery sticks filling includes mayonnaise, garlic, and green onions, Sammy says. “We’ve always had it on the menu,” he says. “It’s been on the menu for as long as I can remember.”

He’s not sure who put it on the menu, but he thinks it was “one of Miss Vita’s dishes.” That’s the late Vita Gattuso, Sam’s sister. “Something she came up with.”

It seems like I’ve seen the stuffed celery sticks on the menu forever, but I never ordered them. “It’s always been popular,” Sammy says.  “It’s kind of one of those hidden things. If you’re zipping over the appetizers your eye might go to the toasted raviolis or something else. But it’s always been there.”

When I went to Pete & Sam’s the other night so server Gabe Roberts could take a photo of me for the story, I asked server Nick Musarra about the stuffed celery. He says, “I sold six or seven of them last night.”

Stuffed celery at Pete & Sam’s (Credit: Michael Donahue)

As for those T-shirts, they’ve been around for four years, Sammy says. His brother, Michael Bomarito, also an owner of the restaurant, designed it. “It was based on The Godfather and he substituted Sam’s picture for it.”

The T-shirts have been “very popular,” Sammy says. “We’ve had probably four or five T-shirt runs on those, for sure.”

And, he says, they’ve probably sold 1,000 of the T-shirts over the years.

So, slip on a T-shirt and kick back with a tray of stuffed celery sticks and maybe a basket-wrapped bottle of chianti and imagine Nino Rota’s theme from The Godfather playing in the background.

But it might have to contend with one of Pete & Sam’s Frank Sinatra recordings.

Pete & Sam’s is at 3886 Park Avenue; (901) 458-0694

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Humane Society Hosts Paw Prints House PAWty Fundraiser August 22nd

CREDIT: Photo by Flickr user Alan Levine

Photo by Flickr user Alan Levine

The annual Paw Prints fundraiser for Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County (HSMSC) is putting a spin on the gala this year. You can sit, stay, and fetch dinner from home on August 22nd while you support lifesaving services at the Humane Society with the help of three local restaurants, Pete & Sam’s, Restaurant Iris, and Ecco.

This House PAWty is just like ordering takeout. Simply navigate to the order page, select the restaurant and menu of your choice, and order for the number of two-legged creatures in your household. Pick up or receive your food on the night of the event to enjoy with the people in your home. It’s your PAWty. You can do what you want. Hold a family game night, watch a movie, set up a formal dinner, or picnic in the backyard with lawn games.

Food options range from $50-$125 per person, with delivery included for Ecco and Restaurant Iris. Pete & Sam’s can be picked up from their Park Avenue location. Each restaurant is paid for the food and the rest goes to the Humane Society.

“Paw Prints House PAWty is a great way to put our paw print on the Memphis community by supporting local restaurants and the Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County at the same time,” says HSMSC director of philanthropy Katherine Russell.

Besides great food from all the restaurants, Restaurant Iris has a vegetarian option and a Strawberry Lemonade Cocktail Kit (sans the alcohol) that is complementary with your meal choice.

Another PAWty perk is the Barks for Bling component. Raffle tickets will be available to purchase for a chance to “shop the case” of selected baubles from Mednikow Jewelers. Items range in value from $575 to $695. Visit mednikow.com to browse.

If you can’t participate but want to support, you can give the gift of a House PAWty pack to a local friend or you can make a donation to the Humane Society outright.

Saturday, August 22nd, memphishumane.org, visit the Humane Society website or Facebook page for full details, $50-$125 per person.

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Pete & Sam’s Spaghetti Giveaway

A total of 550 plates of Pete & Sam’s spaghetti were donated to Memphis Catholic Charities of West Tennessee.


The staggering number of unemployed people in the United States due to coronavirus led to 550 plates of Pete & Sam’s spaghetti being dispersed around Memphis on Wednesday, April 15th.

“I was driving to work looking at the unemployment number — 6 million throughout the nation filed for it,” says Michael Bomarito, an owner of the popular Memphis restaurant.

So, he says, “We need to step up and do something. We’ve been blessed with this restaurant after the fire.”

Pete & Sam’s was closed for about five months after a fire broke out early December 12th, 2017.

Then Bomarito says, “Look. If we’re going to do it, let’s cook a whole batch of sauce and give it away. We know we can knock that out very quickly in one morning.”

He contacted Memphis Catholic Charities of West Tennessee executive director Kelly Henderson, who was happy to get the spaghetti.

Bomarito wanted to cook 28 gallons of the meat sauce. “That’s one batch of our meat sauce — beef, whole tomatoes, celery, onions, spices, cheese, parmesan cheese, secret stuff we can’t share.”

They cooked the pasta the night before. “We cooked 70 pounds. That’s 70 dry pounds that turns into 160 wet pounds. That’s more of a pain than making the sauce. You get big vats of boiling water of spaghetti noodles and try to get it out without scalding yourself. And you have to do that seven times.”

The sauce was made the day of the giveaway. “We got the sauce going about 5 a.m. this morning. It was ready by 10. We started plating the food around 10:30, and it was done by 11:15.”

Henderson “came with a van and picked it up,” Bomarito says.

Michael Bomarito, Kelly Henderson, Sammy Bomarito

“About 200 of the meals were delivered door to door to our clients who are under our care,” Henderson says. “These are people who are formerly homeless but now have a home because of our work. And the rest of the food was distributed with our partnerships with St. Patrick’s, St. Mary’s, and St. Vincent de Paul. So, two churches and one other agency who are all serving the homeless.”


Asked how he felt about the restaurant’s gesture, Henderson says, “I thought it was a tremendous act of generosity. So many restaurants are struggling to keep their doors open and you get a random call from the owner of Pete & Sam’s saying, ‘Hey, we can make a big batch of spaghetti, and we can feed some people who rely on you.’ It really shows the solidarity of the community.”

Did Bomarito eat any of that spaghetti? “No. I looked at the last of the spaghetti and didn’t want any of it.”


Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

Vino Italiano

CREDIT: Food-micro | Dreamstime.com

The subject of Italian wines always puts me back at Pete & Sam’s over on Park, inevitably two tables over from a quartet of priests gathered around their veal parmigiano and one of those grass-wrapped bottles of Chianti. Even at 10 years old, I knew — through a friend whose parents had emigrated from Spain — that the stuff was just awful. Although, at the time, I was under the impression that priests could do some wild stuff with wine, so I couldn’t be too sure.

This wasn’t always the case. Back in 1726, the Grand Duke of Tuscany issued a proclamation restricting the use of the name Chianti and setting a geographical boundary to keep the style’s integrity. Two hundred years later, the stuff was widely known for being just awful. The region’s growers thought this was being uncharitable as the sangiovese grape just needed to lie for a time. I don’t mean three or four years, but something a little more generational.

Food-micro | Dreamstime.com

In 1967, the Italian government stepped in to regulate the process, but that only codified Chianti’s wimpy, acidic badness. So awful was the wine’s reputation that it triggered something of a laid-back revolution among Italy’s more ambitious wine makers — called the Super Tuscan movement. Basically, they completely ignored government regulations regarding styles and regions. One man heavily credited with inspiring the revival of Italian wines was actually born in Minnesota. The son of Italian immigrants, Robert Mondavi established the first major American post-prohibition winery in 1966, after leaving the family winery due to a fight with his brother. The irony of Mondavi’s place in the rebirth of Italian wines is that he himself had his epiphany while touring France — and he wondered if he could achieve Old World quality with modern technology. Conventional wisdom said no.

This, of course, had the predictable effect on an American-born child of immigrants. Not only did he bring respect to New World wines, he inadvertently turned Old World winemaking on its head. Italian winemakers traveled from the old country to his winery to study and work with him. These days Tuscany is as dotted with Mondavi alumni as Napa Valley.

Officially, these “Super Tuscans” were classified as vini da tavola — a sort of nondescript peasant wine. Eventually, reality set in that all the better wines were the ones that ran afoul of regulations, so the government relaxed the rules. With the freedom to do it right, many of these winemakers began making a new and improved Chianti. Which is the long way of saying that Chianti, and Italian wines in general, have in a lot of ways outgrown the reputations held by earlier vintages.

I picked up a Chianti Classico as well as one of those unmistakable grass-wrapped bottles. Being a supporter of recycling, I figured I could always find a U of M student to jam a candle in the kitchy decanter … or turn it into a bong. The style, then and now, is still primarily the sangiovese grape. Or perhaps overwhelmingly is the better word. Gone is the wimpy-yet-astringent quality of old for a full-frontal assault by a wall of grape jam, with hints of more of the same. Not for me, really — but the Italians design their wine to go with a meal, and that does make a difference.

There is a certain harmony embodied in “what grows together goes together.” If you are at Pete & Sam’s sitting over a plate of pasta with red sauce or veal parmigiano, that overpowering jamminess gets cut drastically. You don’t even need a priest, really. Neither food nor wine seems quite as overpowering as before. Nor is it particularly quiet. The experience is big, loud, boisterous, and fun. Which is as good a description as any of the meals I’ve had at Pete & Sam’s.

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Best of Memphis Special Sections

Best of Food & Drink

CREDIT: Alex Harrison

Alex Harrison

Buttery tikka masala, tender tandoori, spicy vegetable dishes, and all other manner of Indian specialties are served at Midtown institution India Palace in its airy, comfortable Poplar Avenue location.

We’ll admit we find it adorable when, in the “Best Chef” category,
you write in “My Wife,” “My Husband,” or, better yet, “My Mom.” (The
answer “Your Mom’s House” for “Best Romantic Restaurant” is not so
cute.) Chef Boyardee didn’t stand a chance with only two votes for
“Best Chef,” but at least he’s got bragging rights over Mrs. Winner
who, despite the name and the chicken and biscuits, got only one
vote.

Justin Fox Burks

Kelly English, Restaurant Iris, 1st place: ‘Best Chef’

Best Chef

1. Kelly English, Restaurant Iris

2. Erling Jensen, Erling Jensen the Restaurant

3. John Bragg, Circa

Last October, Food & Wine magazine named Kelly English
one of the Top 10 “Best New Chefs” for 2009. That was quite the honor.
Now Flyer readers have vaulted English to the top spot for the
first time.

Best Lunch

1. Huey’s

2. Soul Fish

3. Lenny’s

Hey, you know all those other restaurants that were in the running
for “Best Lunch” in Memphis? Stick a toothpick in ’em. They’re done.
Huey’s gets the nod for lunch nosh this year.

Best Breakfast

1. Brother Juniper’s

2. Blue Plate Cafe

3. Bryant’s Breakfast

Oh Brother, Wherefore Art Chow? Sorry. Brother J. has won “Best
Breakfast” many times, and it’s because they offer delicious,
innovative, homemade food in an eclectic space crammed with interesting
people, especially on weekend mornings.

Best Romantic Restaurant

1. Paulette’s

2. Le Chardonnay Wine Bar & Bistro

3. The Melting Pot

Maybe it’s the desserts. Or maybe the soft tinkling of the ivories.
Or maybe just the wonderful menu, nice wine list, and warm ambience.
Paulette’s is a classic.

Best Sunday Brunch

1. Owen Brennan’s Restaurant

2. Boscos Squared

3. Peabody Skyway — tie —

Beauty Shop

Owen Brennan’s sits at the cusp of Germantown and East Memphis, but
it draws Memphians from all over for its New Orleans-themed Sunday
brunch: the best in town for 2009.

Best Wine List

1. Le Chardonnay Wine Bar & Bistro

2. Texas de Brazil

3. Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse

Le Chardonnay moved across Madison Avenue a couple years ago, but it
has retained its dark, ski-lodge-y charm, its extensive wine list, and
first place for “Best Wine List” in your hearts.

Best Steak

1. Folk’s Folly Prime Steak House

2. Ruth’s Chris Steak House

3. The Butcher Shop

Folk’s Folly valets meet you at the curb. Once inside, you hear
sweet piano-bar stylings and the sound of cold drinks and cocktail
chatter. But who are we kidding? It’s all about the steak here, and
Folk’s Folly’s steaks sizzle!

Best Barbecue

1. Central BBQ

2. Corky’s

3. The Bar-B-Q Shop

Central BBQ takes top honor in what is probably the toughest
category in this poll: “Best Barbecue.” No matter how you spell it
— barbecue, BBQ, Bar-B-Q, whatever — Central’s on top
again.

Best Ribs

1. Charles Vergos’ Rendezvous

2. Central BBQ

3. Corky’s

The Rendezvous is sometimes derided as a place where tourists go to
eat Memphis’ most famous food group (16 barbecued ribs), but the
Flyer‘s poll makes it clear that locals love the Rendezvous as
much as people wearing Elvis T-shirts. And well they should.

Best Burger

BOM 1. Huey’s

2. Earnestine & Hazel’s

3. The Belmont Grill

That “BOM” designation means Huey’s has won “Best Burger” for so
long that it’s not even fair to anybody else in the running. Lots of
places in Memphis make good burgers, but only one takes the top spot,
year after year after year.

Best Hot Wings

1. Buffalo Wild Wings

2. D’Bo’s Buffalo Wings-n-Things

3. Central BBQ

With five Memphis-area locations, 14 sauces (ranging in heat from
“Blazin'” to “Sweet Barbecue”), and TVs set to sports everywhere you
look, Buffalo Wild Wings is leading the city’s wing scene.

Best Fried Chicken

BOM 1. Gus’s Fried Chicken

2. Popeye’s Chicken & Biscuits

3. Jack Pirtle Fried Chicken

If you want to eat lunch at Gus’s, you’d better get there early.
Folks line up for the crispy, smoky, spicy uniqueness that makes Gus’s
fried chicken better than anybody’s in Memphis. Or in the world.

Best Cajun/Creole

1. Bayou Bar & Grill

2. Owen Brennan’s Restaurant

3. Pearl’s Oyster House

The Bayou, like its sister restaurant, Le Chardonnay, hasn’t missed
a beat by moving across Madison. It’s bigger, but it still has a nice
patio, cold beer, stellar gumbo, and lots of other Cajun
delectables.

Justin Fox Burks

Petra, 1st place: ‘Best Mediterranean’

Best Mediterranean

1. Petra

2. Casa Grill

3. Petra Cafe

What’s more Midtown than this: Greek-Korean fusion in a restaurant
housed in a former gas station/garage, with patio seating right next to
the pumps? Spanikopita, moussaka, falafel — Petra is Greek
delicious. And the Korean soups and kimchi are fabulous too.

Best Dessert

1. Paulette’s

2. Beauty Shop

3. Kooky Canuck

Restaurants come and go, but Paulette’s “K-Pie” is a constant. Rich
coffee ice cream in a pecan-coconut crust, topped with whipped cream
and Kahlua, the Midtown institution’s Kahlua-mocha parfait pie is a
classic but not their most popular dessert. That designation apparently
belongs to the restaurant’s hot chocolate crepe. With crème
brûlée, Key lime pie, and other desserts dotting the menu,
Paulette’s is where Memphians go for post-dinner sweets.

Best Italian

1. Ronnie Grisanti & Sons Restaurant (now closed)

2. Pete & Sam’s

3. Bari — tie —

Ciao Bella Italian Grill

Long synonymous with Italian dining in Memphis, Ronnie Grisanti’s
closed its doors in August after a 25-year run at its Chickasaw Oaks
Plaza location on Poplar. But Memphians won’t be without the Grisanti
family’s authentic Tuscan cuisine, which has delighted local diners for
generations. Most of the restaurant’s staff — including Ronnie
himself — will relocate to the family’s Germantown location,
Elfo’s, which will be renamed simply Grisanti’s.

Best Mexican

1. El Porton Mexican Restaurant

2. Happy Mexican

3. Taqueria La Guadalupana

In an increasingly saturated local Mexican food scene, El Porton
maintains the top spot with five area locations, quick, reasonably
price lunches, a diverse menu, a full bar, and happy-hour specials.

Best Chinese

1. P.F. Chang’s

2. Wang’s Mandarin House

3. A-Tan

National chain P.F. Chang’s became a big local hit when it opened
its lone Memphis location — on Ridgeway in East Memphis — a
few years ago. In P.F. Chang’s large, opulent dining room, patrons can
feast on a diverse array of Chinese classics such as Mongolian beef,
ginger chicken, and spicy dumplings.

Best Thai

1. Bhan Thai

2. Bangkok Alley

3. Jasmine

Located in a large, converted Midtown house (the former home of
restaurant Maison Raji), Bhan Thai offers intensely flavorful Thai
dishes — masaman curry, pad thai, crispy duck, coconut-milk-based
soups, etc. — in an elegant atmosphere full of character, from
its small, intimate dining rooms to its popular patio in the back.

Best Vietnamese

1. Saigon Le

2. Pho Saigon

3. Pho Hoa Binh

This no-frills Midtown eatery has a loyal clientele because of its
focus on the food, which includes authentic Vietnamese specialties
— fresh spring rolls, great pho soups, vermicelli and tofu
dishes, and plenty of vegetarian options.

Best Japanese/Sushi

1. Sekisui

2. Blue Fin

3. Sekisui Pacific Rim

Restaurateur Jimmy Ishii has come to define Japanese cuisine, and
particularly sushi, in Memphis. The local chain is celebrating its 20th
birthday this year, first opening its Humphreys Center flagship
restaurant in 1989 and now covering the city with five locations.

Justin Fox Burks

Soul Fish, 1st place: ‘Best Home Cooking / Soul Food’

Best Home Cooking/Soul Food

1. Soul Fish

2. The Cupboard

3. Blue Plate Café

For exquisite catfish and hush puppies and a big daily selection of
veggies, it’s hard to order anything else off of Soul Fish’s menu. But
try their smoked half-chicken, and you’ll be doubling up on meals to
satisfy all your menu urges.

Best Vegetarian

BOM 1. Whole Foods Market

2. The Cupboard

3. Jasmine

Whole Foods Market, a foodie oasis on Poplar Avenue in East Memphis,
is more than a grocery store. Its large prepared-foods section —
pizzas, sandwiches, salad bar, bakery, coffee and juice bar — and
dining area make it a popular lunch and dinner spot for vegetarians and
health-food enthusiasts, in particular. Whole Foods also offers cooking
classes to help you find interesting things to do with the fresh and
healthy items they sell.

Best Seafood

1. Tsunami

2. Bonefish

3. The Half Shell

The anchor restaurant of Cooper-Young does it again, taking “Best
Seafood” for the millionth year in a row. Scallops, sea bass, mussels,
you name it, Chef Ben Smith and crew deliver a ship full of great taste
in a sophisticated atmosphere.

Best Pizza

BOM 1. Memphis Pizza Cafe

2. Garibaldi’s Pizza

3. Old Venice

Memphis Pizza Café was an instant hit when it opened in 1993
and has since expanded its local pizza empire to five locations, all
serving tasty, crispy pizzas, including such faves as the white-sauce
“alternative” and the zesty Cajun chicken.

Best Deli

1. Fino’s from the Hill

2. Bogie’s Delicatessen

3. Young Avenue Deli

What says Midtown more than the intersection of Madison and McLean?
And what says a great deli sandwich better than Fino’s from the Hill,
on that very Midtown corner? In addition to the popular made-to-order
sandwiches — cold cuts, cheeses, toppings, all on good crusty
bread — Fino’s offers pasta dishes and grocery items. That’s
Italian!

Best Server

1. Jeff Frisby, Restaurant Iris

2. Michele Fields, Calhoun’s Sports Bar

3. Jean Pruett, Bardog — tie —

Brent Skelton, The Kitchen

Jeff Frisby at Restaurant Iris must be doing something right. Last
year, he was named one of the city’s best servers in our Best Of poll.
This year, he’s done it again. Must be that Frisby knows not only how
to serve, he knows what to serve when it comes to vino: He’s Restaurant
Iris’ wine manager. (Factoid: All our winners in this category work in
Memphis’ new or newish restaurant/bars. Good to see Flyer
readers appreciate the city’s evolving food scene.)

Best Service

1. Chick-Fil-A

2. Texas de Brazil

3. Houston’s

Drive-thru or in-store, the crew behind the counter at any of
Memphis’ Chick-Fil-A locations have it down pat: your order in your
hands — fast. More amazing (and given the volume of business),
they do it, hands down, with the friendliest service in town.

Justin Fox Burks

Chick-Fil-A, 1st place: ‘Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant’

Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant

1. Chick-Fil-A

2. Chuck E. Cheese

3. Huey’s

We forgot to mention (see “Best Service”) that the crew at
Chick-Fil-A must have nerves of steel. As a new winner in the
kid-friendly restaurant category, these folks have what it takes when
children combine with fast food. Call it grace under pressure.

Best Local Late-Night Dining

1. Huey’s

2. Earnestine & Hazel’s

3. Young Avenue Deli

And we mean late. We’re talking, at several of Huey’s
multiple locations, a kitchen that’s open until 2 a.m. Don’t deny it.
At that hour and after some damage, what your body’s craving is a
burger and onion rings.

Best Place for People-Watching

1. Flying Saucer

2. Young Avenue Deli

3. Celtic Crossing

The corner of Beale and Second: The wide-open windows at downtown’s
Flyer Saucer aren’t there for no reason. Whether you’re in the
restaurant or passing on the sidewalk, this place was tailor-made for
people-watching. Evidence: During the Memphis Music and Heritage
Festival a few weekends ago, the place was jamming, inside and out.

Best Patio

1. Celtic Crossing

2. Boscos Squared

3. Cafe Olé

In a word: trivia. Celtic’s popular Wednesday-night tournament this
past summer had the patio packed. Any night, any season, though, will
do for a Guinness and some major hanging-out in Cooper-Young. Bonus
attraction: On this patio, you’re only a few steps from the scene on
the street.

Best Local Place That Delivers

1. Garibaldi’s Pizza

2. Young Avenue Deli

3. Camy’s

Another new winner in our Best Of poll: Garibaldi’s Pizza —
established 30 years ago by owner Mike Garibaldi — has three
locations for handmade pizzas, pastas, salads, wings, sandwiches,
sweets, and more. Garibaldi’s caters to not only what you’re hungry
for, according to readers, it really delivers.

Justin Fox Burks

Muddy’s Bake Shop, 1st place: ‘Best Bakery’

Best Bakery

1. Muddy’s Bake Shop

2. La Baguette

3. Fresh Market

Again: a new winner. And, according to Muddy’s website, if you’re
rude, whiny, impatient, or otherwise unpleasant, forget stepping inside
this bakeshop. If you’re green-minded and egg-headed (Muddy’s uses eggs
from cage-free, free-range hens), you’re welcome! Plus, who’s to argue
with a cupcake called “Prozac?”

Best Local Coffeehouse

1. High Point Coffee (now closed)

2. Otherlands

3. Café Eclectic — tie —

Republic Coffee

High Point Coffee just closed. (It’s the economy, stupid.) But
Otherlands, Cafe Eclectic, and Republic Coffee — the hotshots
rounding out your picks for best local coffeehouse — havestill
got their vibe going and the caffeine coming.

Best Restaurant

1. Restaurant Iris

2. Tsunami

3. Huey’s

Iris: It’s in the eye of the beholder. Restaurant Iris, “Best
Restaurant,” according to Memphians who value fine dining. In the space
of a year, nationally recognized chef Kelly English has succeeded in
turning Restaurant Iris into the city’s go-to address for exceptional
French-Creole-inspired cuisine. Doesn’t hurt that the restaurant also
features first-rate service in an intimate, romantic atmosphere.

Best New Restaurant

1. Flight

2. Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen

3. Overton Park Pizze Stone

The interior’s gorgeous, but it’s the food at Flight that has
Flyer readers hooked — and voting. Flight’s “flights”
— a trio of tastings from the entrée, dessert, and wine
menus — make it a wonderful way to sample what’s cooking in the
kitchen. What’s on your table: small plates but great taste. Or you
want regular-size portions? No problem. You can order that way too.