Tag: Tamp & Tap Triad

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Food & Wine Food & Drink

Chewing Over the Food News of 2015

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

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.

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Tamp & Tap’s The Stanley

I couldn’t be more excited that Tamp & Tap opened an East Memphis location because I’ve been dying to have a local coffee shop in the area. Also, people rave about their coffee and food. I specifically hear phenomenal things about The Stanley, which I’ve been told is the best turkey sandwich I’ll ever eat. So I decided to put that to the test.

The person on line in front of me, who was also a newcomer, asked the employee what their favorite thing on the menu was. They immediately said The Stanley ($10.50). The sandwich is made with smoked turkey, fontina cheese, candied bacon, pickled red onion, arugula and roasted artichoke aioli. It’s served on house made brioche and you get to pick your side of chips or salad.

The Stanley is nicely presented and it’s a great portion size. The brioche bread is thick but soft and fluffy. It’s nicely toasted and rich in taste. I would even say buttery. OMG to the candied bacon… it’s amazing! It’s nice and sweet and it hits you immediately. I personally think it’s what makes the sandwich stand out. The smoked turkey has a great flavor to it as well and there’s a good portion of meat. The pickled red onion gives the sandwich a nice crunch. Everything on it is fresh, all the way down to the lettuce. The fontina cheese is smooth and blends in well. As for the artichoke aioli, it’s light and refreshing. Forget the mayo, you don’t need it! But I keep going back to that candied bacon! I can see why The Stanley is a favorite around town. It’s also perfect for lunch!

For my drink, I went with the Panamerican ($5). It’s a white chocolate Irish cream latte. The Panamerican is light in taste. If you’re like me, you probably thought that white chocolate and Irish cream sounds heavy. It isn’t. The white chocolate taste is faint with the creamy feel of a latte being more present. It’s a great mixture between the two and it tastes more like well-brewed coffee. I loved that. If you want a latte that isn’t over-powered by strong syrups or flavors and will hit the spot, this is for you. It’s very enjoyable.

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

Now open: Agave Maria and Tamp & Tap Triad.

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

As chefs go, Russell Casey may be one of the most undervalued properties in the city. Since 2013, he’s been turning out top-notch pub grub at Local. Then, earlier this year, he started beating other area chefs to win cooking contests — first place for his bouillabaisse in February, second place for his ceviche in June.

All this from a guy who never went to culinary school.

“I started in kitchens when I was 14 years old,” remembers Casey, now 35. “And I’ve been doing it ever since. I think the best school you can get is working for good chefs.”

Now Casey is bringing his culinary brio to the menu at Agave Maria. It’s a new Mexican restaurant near the corner of Union and Front, in the old Pa Pa Pia’s space. And, folks, it’s a winner. The combination of chic design and can’t-put-it-down cuisine make it the kind of place that will quickly earn a spot on your regular restaurant rotation.

Justin Fox Burks

the Seared Sea Scallops

Take the Enchilada Tinga ($11). Taste a little different? Well it should. The mole is built from a base of toasted pumpkin seeds and soy sauce. It’s the kind of flavor profile you’d never associate with Mexican food — until now. Rich and tangy, loaded with lime, chili paste, and shredded chicken, it’s a dish you’ll have to guard from fellow diners. Also recommended: the Seared Sea Scallops ($15) and the Salmon Sashimi Tostada ($12.50).

Justin Fox Burks

bottles of tequila

Agave Maria’s other great virtue is its bar, which boasts the largest selection of tequila (100-plus varieties) in the city. To toast the warm weather, owner Jeff Johnson and I raised a snifter of Casa Noble Añejo ($15). Grown in the Mexican lowlands and aged in oak barrels, it was silky smooth with notes of butterscotch and pear.

“Of course, we’re not above taking shots here,” says Johnson, swirling the tequila in his snifter. “But if you want to, this is a place where you can come to learn and savor.”

Johnson adds that he has plans for tequila pairing dinners and a tequila loyalty program.

Of course, the food tastes better for being served in such stylish surroundings. The interior — olive green with fuchsia accents — is by Graham Reese, whose inspiration was “Tijuana chic.” In practice, that means tufted leather, jewel-tone pendant lamps, and, of course, an enormous taxidermied bull. La Furia (“The Fury”) is said to have killed two matadors and injured 12 more between 1999 and 2001.

Tamp & Tap Triad inhabits the kind of sleek, industrial space you’d expect to find in downtown Chicago. For a color palette, think Oreo cookie: black and white with just a few pops of color. There’s even an egg-shaped meeting pod, walled off from the main dining area by a translucent, white curtain.

Pretty cool, right? Only it’s not in Chicago. It’s not even downtown. Tamp & Tap Triad is in East Memphis, near Poplar and I-240.

When you think about it, it fits. East Memphis has been crying out for good coffee — as far as I can tell, there’s nothing “craft” east of the interstate — and manager Maggie Swett says bringing artisanal third-wave coffee to an untapped market is a big part of her mission.

“There’s so much energy behind this cup,” Swett enthuses. “We’re talking about fair-trade beans from a single origin, and they don’t get roasted until I order them.”

Tamp & Tap Triad — an offshoot of the original Tamp & Tap downtown — sources all its beans through Metropolis Coffee in Chicago. The shot I tasted, a Redline espresso, was spicy and well-constructed. Although its license is still pending, the shop plans to offer beer and a light lunch, as well as wine, which the other location does not have.

“When I joined the project,” Swett remembers, “they didn’t have a woman on board. I told them, when I wind down after work, I want a glass of wine.”

As for the food, it’s perfect for a business lunch. I especially liked the Stanley Sandwich ($10.50), stacked with smoked turkey, fontina cheese, candied bacon, pickled red onion, and roasted artichoke aioli. The brioche, which is baked in-house, seals the deal.