Ray’z World Famous Dr. Bar-b-que

In looking over 2015, one thing stood out: brand expansion. Aldo’s Pizza Pies, with its swell rooftop patio, and City Market (grab and go!) came to Cooper-Young. Fino’s opened a second restaurant in East Memphis (yay sandwiches!), and Mediterranean mainstay Casablanca returned to Midtown. Both Bedrock Eats & Sweets, the paleo eatery, and the all-vegan Pink Diva Cupcakery and Cuisine got places to call their own.

Justin Fox Burks

Bedrock Eats & Sweets

Ermyias Shiberou, owner of Stickem food truck, opened Blue Nile Ethiopian Kitchen on Madison in Midtown, next to the Bar-B-Q Shop. Stickem’s awesome kabobs are on the menu, and the lentil sandwich is terrific. Reverb Coffee got into the food-truck game, and Relevant Roasters opened its own coffee bar. Tamp & Tap Triad was unveiled in East Memphis.

Justin Fox Burks

Blue Nile Ethiopian Kitchen

Last year, all the action was in Overton Square. This year, one could argue, it’s South Main. The new location of Rizzo’s, after much delay, opened in March. Don’t worry, the Lobster Pronto Pups are still on the menu. The great and always-packed Maciel’s offers downtowners tacos, tortas, and more. South Main Sushi & Grill took over the Grawemeyer’s space, and there’s Ray’z World Famous Dr. Bar-b-que a few blocks north. The hipsteriffic 387 Pantry is a small, curated market with locally sourced goods like Dr. Bean’s coffee and Hanna Farm grits and cornmeal.

Justin Fox Burks

Ray’z World Famous Dr. Bar-b-que

Also new to downtown is the build-your-own tacos and burritos and nachos joint Burrito Blues (mmmm, nachos) and the Cuban and Mexican restaurant Sabrosura (try the Cuban sandwich). Jeff Johnson’s latest venture Agave Maria, with its masterful decor and endless tequila menu, opened on Union. Recommendation: the cheesy mushroom and poblano enchilada. In April, Bass Pro finally opened in the Pyramid. Uncle Buck’s, the underwater-themed restaurant with a bowling alley, offers a little something for everyone. Up top, the Lookout has one of the best views in the city.

Germantown got all the grocery stores. There’s the 1,000,000-square-foot Kroger that opened. (Actually, it’s only 100,000 square feet, but to put it in perspective, the Union Kroger is 36,000 square feet). It has a juice bar and a Corky’s BBQ kiosk. The healthy-food-at-a-discount grocer, Sprouts, after opening Lakeland, introduced its second store in Germantown. Whole Foods opened its second Memphis-area store in Germantown, too. It features a charcuterie cave, a fresh pasta station, made-fresh savory and sweet crepes, and Korean street food from Kei Jei Kitchens. (I think about the steamed bao sliders all the time.) And, in September, there was news, which seems completely unfair depending on your zip code, that the first area Trader Joe’s would open in Germantown sometime in 2016.

Breakfast for dinner? Breakfast for lunch? Breakfast for breakfast? Whenever! Another Broken Egg, a chain, opened in East Memphis. Order one of their scrambled skillets and their beignet biscuits and you’ll feel like you’ve been hit by a bus, but in the best way possible. Also in the breakfast-whenever game is the colorful, pancake-centric Staks. You can even make your own pancakes, if you’re so inclined. They also offer soups, salads, and sandwiches (including the Memphis Hot Brown).

And, and, and … There’s Mac’s Burgers with a menu filled with gourmet mac-and-cheese and burgers. Coffeehouse/gift shop City & State opened on Broad. 3 Angels Diner made way for Maximo’s on Broad. Encore Cafe offers wraps, smoothies, and salads, plus a place for Cozy Corner while it gets its building ready. Crazy Italians is owned by real-live Italians and features a menu of affordable, classic dishes like spaghetti alla carbonara. I Love Juice Bar features juices, smoothies, and essential oil shots. Mardi Gras, in Crosstown, has gotten great word-of-mouth for its Cajun fare. Diners can tour the U.S.A. at Heritage Tavern & Kitchen, which has a menu of regional favorites. Healthy, tastefully done meals are Julles Posh Food‘s focus. Ditto for LYFE Kitchen, where there’s no fryer, and it’s not missed at all.

Finally, two words: Cheesecake Factory.

Ray Nolan got the barbecue bug early. At the age of 6, he started accompanying his father to buy ribs for the family on Friday night. By the time he was 13, he was in the business, cleaning the parking lot at a neighborhood barbecue joint.

“I told them, ‘You don’t have to pay me in cash,”‘ Nolan recalls. “Just pay me in barbecue. It’s what my blood bleeds.”

In the years since, he has opened no fewer than 14 barbecue shops in and around Memphis. None has stayed open for more than a couple of years, but it wasn’t for a lack of good food. In 2014, Nolan competed in an episode of chef G. Garvin’s Underground BBQ Challenge on the Travel Channel — and won, collecting a hefty $10,000 prize. He attributes the closures to a combination of bad location and bad financing.

“I’ve been doing this thing long enough,” admits Nolan, now 62. “I made enough mistakes. Now I know how to do it. This is a no-miss situation.”

Earlier this week, he opened Ray’z World Famous Dr. Bar-b-que on S. Main. Technically speaking, Nolan is no doctor; he says the name is a reference to the food’s medicinal properties. In any case, the barbecue is truly tasty.

Start with a plate of ribs ($10.95). They’re dry-roasted on an open-pit grill with a spice rub that Nolan calls his MFE — Miracle Flavor Enhancer. The meat is a dreamy pink, enrobed in a gorgeous, dark-brown crust. It’s good enough to eat without sauce, but don’t skip it. It’s a signature recipe that features mostly natural ingredients, including red wine vinegar, minced garlic, and blueberries.

What’s the secret to a good rack of ribs?

“You’ve got to control your fire,” whispers Nolan, with a passionate intensity. “You can’t rush it. You’ve got to stay with it like a newborn baby.”

Justin Fox Burks

Ray Nolan

The story of Dr. Bean’s Coffee and Tea Emporium is a buddy movie waiting to happen. The two founders started out as neighbors in Cooper-Young. One was an ER doctor, the other a restaurant manager. Both had a passion for coffee. So they did what anyone would do: They flew to Portland and went to barista school.

I can see it now. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover star in Higher Grounds, the story of two working stiffs who find friendship in a cuppa joe.

They would learn to make coffee during a three-minute montage to Michael Sembello’s “Rock Until You Drop.” The reality is much more complicated. After Portland, owners Charles Billings and Albert Bean spent a week in Vermont learning to roast. It’s a good thing, too, because these days, the field is getting crowded, and you have to do something to stand out. Something like Dr. Bean’s Ethiopian Yirgacheffe ($14).

“We try to roast in such a way as to highlight the best qualities of the bean itself,” explains Billings, weighing out the coffee on a kitchen scale. “It’s like a steak. 15 seconds and one degree of temperature can profoundly alter the flavor.”

In the case of the Yirgacheffe, roasting yields something surprising: strawberries. Try it, and tell me if you don’t taste them. That distinctive fruity flavor is nestled in a medium-bodied beverage with a lovely, bright aroma. This coffee needs no sweetener. (Also recommended: the Rwandan Kivu Kibuye, $14)

In January, Bean and Billings plan to open a coffee shop on Madison. For now, you can find their beans at local retailers like 387 Pantry, Miss Cordelia’s, and Bedrock Eats & Sweets. Where retail is concerned, they are recalling bags that haven’t been sold after two weeks.

“The Memphis palate is changing,” Bean reflects. “They want to know what they’re drinking, who made it, and where it came from.”