photograph by Michael Donahue
L-R: Mark Esterman, Sara Bell, Evalina Edwards, Christopher Jamieson, and Ashley Jamieson.
Mortimer’s longtime bartender/manager Mark Esterman came up with the saying that used to hang on the restaurant’s marquee: “How many times have you driven by and not stopped in? Give us a try.”
Another sign, owner Christopher Jamieson adds, went something like: “Voted #1 Restaurant at Perkins and Renshaw.”
The laid-back restaurant/pub with the Cheers vibe is celebrating its 40th anniversary. For about 20 of those years, Mortimer’s has served its succulent prime rib on Monday nights.
That began when Jessie Webb was kitchen manager, says Sara Bell, Jamieson’s mother and another owner. Prime rib was a popular item at the old Knickerbocker, a restaurant on Poplar her dad, the late Vernon Bell, owned.
“There was a prime rib station where the chef would cut it to order,” says Jamieson. The preparation remains the same. “We put olive oil on it, and then we actually smear a chicken base rub, like a paste. We use a steak seasoning that we sprinkle all over it — salt, pepper, and granulated garlic are the main things. Then we cook it in the oven to rare to mid-rare.”
“People find comfort in something that reminds them of the past. And I think that sets us aside from all the new places that open up. Places like us are few and far between these days.” — co-owner Sara Bell
The au jus that comes with it is made from a beef base and assorted seasonings.
“It caught on,” says Bell. Although the restaurant posts on social media these days, so much of what they’ve done at Mortimer’s over the years is by word of mouth, she says.
Bell’s father once owned The Little Tea Shop, the iconic Downtown restaurant. “He bought The Little Tea Shop from the two elderly sisters that had been running it,” she says.
Around 1955, he opened the legendary Knickerbocker. “The decor of The Knickerbocker was very English,” Bell says. “That’s what they patterned it after, with pewter and antiques. One room was called ‘The Tavern.’”
Around 1980, her ex-husband opened Mortimer’s, which was Vernon Bell’s middle name. “My father was crucial to the operation in the beginning,” she says. “Because he was a businessman, he knew how to start something from the ground up.”
Originally, seafood was the main emphasis at Mortimer’s. “Lunches were kind of secondary,” she says. “Then Jessie and I expanded the menu to have more lunch specials and fresh vegetables.”
When her father sold The Little Tea Shop, they kept some of the dishes, including the “Lacey Special” and chicken salad and frozen fruit. Mortimer’s “filled a niche,” Bell says. “It was a place for other than 20-year-olds to go that was a casual pub-type atmosphere. It took off immediately. From day one, she says, the restaurant made a habit of knowing its customers. “If someone walks in the door, [Mark]’s got their drink ready.”
photograph by Ashley Jamieson
The author enjoys a very typical Mortimer’s prime rib dining experience.
When The Knickerbocker closed in 1987, some of its decor went to Mortimer’s, such as a suit of armor, lanterns, and the “Golf Room” with portraits of the winners of the FedEx St. Jude Classic and other Memphis tournaments.
Esterman, who began working at Mortimer’s in the late 1980s, is one of the restaurant’s mainstays. “He’s like a little brother,” Bell says. “And he’s just always been so endearing to me. I can count on him no matter what.”
Longtime cook Evalina Edwards, who also makes the rolls that are only served at lunch and the cornbread, is another mainstay. Edwards began cooking for Vernon Bell back in the 1950s at The Little Tea Shop until she moved to Mortimer’s. “It would take two people to replace her,” Bell says.
A section near the bar pays tribute to the legendary Memphis band, Big Star. Bell’s brother, the late Chris Bell, was a singer/songwriter with the late Alex Chilton and lead guitarist in the band. The space includes photographs, Lamar Sorrento paintings, and a large “Big Star” neon sign given to Bell by the late Ardent Studios founder John Fry.
Van Duren, who has been playing on Thursday nights at Mortimer’s for 10 years, is another staple. He and Chris Bell were in a band together in the ’70s. “He’s like family in that respect,” says Bell, “and he feels that connection with us.”
Future plans for Mortimer’s include expanding the deck to provide more outdoor seating, but Bell says, “I don’t want to change anything, to be honest with you. Sometimes there’ll be a comment about making it more ‘trendy.’ And I’m thinking, that would be the kiss of death. If you start following the trends, you’re going to go down when it goes out. We try to make it comfortable and tavern-ish. That’s the feel we want.”
And, Bell says, “People find comfort in something that reminds them of the past. And I think that sets us aside from all the new places that open up. Places like us are few and far between these days.”
