photograph by bruce vanwyngarden
Mark Esterman with a “Cosmopolitan Martini”
Mark Esterman started working at Mortimer’s in 1989, and with the exception of a couple years in the early 1990s at Harrah’s, he’s been there ever since. The venerable joint at Perkins and Sam Cooper has been a good fit for the 58-year-old Memphian.
“I was born and raised in the city,” he says. “I went to White Station, then UT, then I came back and got my master’s in marketing at the University of Memphis. I waited tables part-time here in 1989, then I left for a ‘real’ job in Tunica.”
After a couple years, Mortimer’s owner Sara Stewart offered Esterman a bartending job. “I thought about where I was working and realized I didn’t want my boss’s job,” he says, “and I didn’t even want his boss’s job, so maybe I was in the wrong place.” So Esterman decided to come back home.
photograph by bruce vanwyngarden
Based on their sign, our “Classic Dining” columnist Michael Donahue obviously enjoys dining at Mortimer’s.
“All the regulars and the employees are like family to me now,” he says. That includes one of his former regulars, a 97-year-old veteran who manned the corner stool every afternoon for many years.
“He lives nearby, by himself, and he would walk over here every day for lunch and a couple drinks,” Esterman says. “Then I noticed he didn’t come in for a couple days and I called him. He said he couldn’t manage to walk over here any longer, so I started picking him up on my way to work. He’d get his lunch and sit on his barstool and things were back to normal for a while. Now he’s pretty much past being able to hang out here, but a couple mornings a week I take him to get groceries and supplies and lunch. I love seeing him.”
That kind of solicitude isn’t out of character for Esterman. When he meets a new customer, he’ll often write their name on a slip of paper and stick it in the back of the cash register. “The next time they come in, if I don’t remember their name, I can quickly look it up,” he says.
photograph by bruce vanwyngarden
A painting of the iconic band Big Star hangs over a booth. The family of Chris Bell, former band member, owns the restaurant.
And each Christmas, Esterman buys all his regulars a mini-bottle of their favorite booze. “When I was buying the stuff at Buster’s last Christmas,” he says, “the clerk said, ‘Hey, you qualify for the case discount. I don’t think I’ve ever had that happen with mini-bottles.’”
It’s little wonder that Mortimer’s has a large crew of regulars, and it’s obviously thanks in part to Esterman’s thoughtfulness. You could even call it marketing, but it comes from the heart.
Esterman is proud of the quirky sayings he posts on the sign in front of the restaurant. “I really liked ‘Voted Best Restaurant at Perkins and Renshaw’” he says. The current one reads, “Michael Donahue Says Try Mort’s.”
photograph by bruce vanwyngarden
An entire wall is covered with photos of regular patrons.
Inside, nearly an entire wall is covered with photos of regulars, regularly curated and updated by Esterman. Needless to say, Donahue, a true regular (and my co-worker), is among them. But here’s the thing: Whenever I think of my friend Michael Donahue, I sometimes need a drink. I’m not sure why.
Fortunately, Esterman is ready. “I’m going to make you our Cosmopolitan Martini,” he says. “It’s usually made with vodka, triple sec, lime juice, and cranberry juice, but we make ours with orange Curaçao instead of triple sec. It gives the drink a little more of a top-shelf feel, and a little better balance.”
Before long, a pink cloud of evanescence in a chilled martini glass is sitting before me, begging for company. I oblige with a sip, and then another. It is ridiculously refreshing.
“This is really good,” I say, cleverly.
“Thanks,” Esterman replies. “I like to call myself ‘the best bartender between Summer and Sam Cooper.’” (Where Mortimer’s sits, Summer and Sam Cooper are about 200 yards apart.)
I have no doubt that Esterman wins that award with ease. And no doubt that his heart fills up a lot more real estate than that. Go see him. He’ll probably write down your name.
Mortimer’s is located at 590 North Perkins Road, 901-761-9321.
