Memphis CRAVE:

Memphis.  The home of the blues and birthplace of rock and roll.  A city synonymous with legendary greats – B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, and even *gasp* Justin Timberlake!  This is a post industrial rivertown that once experienced a booming trade economy from the mighty Mississippi and a quick demise with the rise of railroads and the international highway system.  The path of Three leads us to this land of grit and grind, and our bellies and ears were grateful for the experience.  The Universe continues to conspire in our favor…

Indulge:

When people think about Memphis dining experiences, they usually think of barbeque.  We were pleasantly surprised to discover some unique and tasty culinary destinations that revealed a more sophisticated side to this gritty city.  We were equally ecstatic to discover some less refined, but just as satisfying tributes to our bellies and livers.

Flight Restaurant and Wine Bar:

Flight Restaurant and Wine Bar brings a unique restaurant concept to Memphis.  In fact, we haven’t seen a restaurant like this ever before.  Everyone has heard of flights of wine and beer before, but flights of food?  Mind blown.  Diners can order a flight of salads, flight of appetizers, flight of entrees, and even a flight of desserts.  All the food was prepared impeccably, and this restaurant produced some of my favorite bites of food to date this year.  Unfortunately, our service wasn’t up to par given the caliber of the food, but we suspect our waitress was fairly new to the job.  Despite the poor service, the manager did do everything to make things right for us, including giving us a complimentary appetizer flight, charcuterie board and round of drinks on the house.  This is a restaurant concept that needs to expand – we will certainly be back!

© Thomas Hawk/Flickr

Automatic Slim’s:

The Three loves the idea of brunch.  Not quite breakfast, not quite dinner… Brunch isn’t bound by the traditional culinary laws of physics and you can explore whatever your belly desires.  This non-pretentious restaurant produced some really solid food – we filled our bellies with Southern influenced, hangover curing dishes.  From upside down patty melts to fish and grits to red velvet pancakes, this is the type of comfort food that puts a smile on your face and induces a food coma almost immediately.  We also experienced two things: the largest mimosa in the known universe and some of the tastiest bloody mary’s in the country.  If that’s not enough to get you to Automatic Slim’s you may in fact not be human.

Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen:

Our experience at Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen was the best culinary experience of the trip.  This house, turned restaurant immediately puts you at ease.  The ambiance was amazing, playing an inviting 70’s soul track mix complete with the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, and of course some Marvin Gaye for good measure.  Our host and waitress, Evan and Eva were so accommodating.  It makes you realize that the service can completely change a dining experience.  In our case this night, it was all for the better.  Eva was one of the most knowledgeable and welcoming waitresses we have had – she took the time to detail our dishes and the history behind them.  In some cases, her descriptions changed how we ordered and the results were fantastic.  All of the food was impeccably crafted.  You can tell that the chefs pride themselves on having the best ingredients and combining them in ways that show respect and showcase freshness.  In fact, our experience convinced us to do a deeper review!  Look out for a separate blog post dedicated just to Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen.  Please go have a meal at this restaurant – you will not be sorry.

Experience:

Bass Pro Shop:

We know.  We know.  Why in the world would the Three go to a Bass Pro Shop when there are so many other things to see and do in Memphis?  First, where else in the country can you find a huge glass pyramid in the middle of the country?  In addition, what other city would turn the former home of the Memphis Grizzlies into a 535,000 square foot outdoors enthusiast store?  How does one fill up that much space with outdoor equipment, you might ask?  Naturally, you fill it with a hotel lodge, restaurant, swamp, alligator habitat, bowling alley, gun range, and 28 story elevator leading to an observation deck overlooking the city.  Oh yeah, you can shop for outdoor stuff there too.

Beale Street @ BB King’s Blues Club:

What trip to Memphis would be complete without the chance to listen to some live music and blues?  And where better to do this than BB King’s Blues Club?  We had the privilege of listening to the BB King’s All Star Band and they didn’t disappoint.  The lead singer’s silky, yet gritty voice and the energy of the band took us to church.  The combination of a trumpet, saxophone, drums and organ/piano is one that is hard to beat.  It was fitting that they ended their set with a tribute to Stevie Wonder.  Their extended rendition of Superstition got the entire place up out of their seats.  Some folks had more rhythm than others, but the joy was universal 🙂

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Crave on,

Three

Coming Next: Top 3 by Three – food and drinks: Memphis edition

Coming Next: Deep Dive CRAVE: Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen restaurant review