Justin Fox Burks
A selection of entrees from Moondance Grill
The role restaurants play in our everyday lives, and the passionate way many people feel about them, is often most clearly defined when a favorite restaurant closes.
When Chef Jimmy Gentry unexpectedly closed P.O. Press Public House & Provisions in September 2019, customer laments poured in for the Collierville restaurant praised for its innovative seasonal cooking. Likewise, dis-belief turned to sorrow when an early-morning fire last month shuttered Hog & Hominy, the second restaurant on Brookhaven Circle from chefs Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman. The restaurant, lauded by New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells soon after it opened in 2011, set a new standard in Memphis for neighborhood eateries and cemented the city’s love for wood-fired pizza grounded in Southern roots.
Fortunately, Gentry is now overseeing the kitchen at Interim in East Memphis while he plans another restaurant venture. And Ticer and Hudman, voted best chefs in Memphis this year in a first-place tie with Kelly English, promise a bigger and better rebuild of Hog & Hominy. In the meantime, diners can explore a delicious local food scene led by the city’s top 10 new restaurants selected by Memphis magazine readers in our annual poll.
Ten establishments were named "Best New Restaurant" in our 2020 Readers Restaurant Poll:
Moondance Grill (winner)
Here, we profile the top-five establishments. Coming soon are the other winners.
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Reinvented American classics shape the core of the menu at Moondance Grill.
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Moondance Grill Chef Joel Lemay
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Customer favorites at Moondance Grill include oysters on the half shell.
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For dessert at Moondance Grill: double-fudge chocolate chip brownies.
Winner: Moondance Grill
Prime filets, pan-seared sand dabs, and a marvelous night
To be frank, the signature cocktail at Moondance Grill — an old fashioned infused with cherry wood smoke — sounds a little hokey. But in the spirit of my New Year’s resolution to have more fun, I order the cocktail anyway. A few minutes later, our server Abby sets a glass smoke box on our table. It reminds me of a mantle clock but inside, instead of clockworks, there’s a cocktail glass garnished with an orange twist.
“Are you ready?” Abby asks, and when I nod yes, she unlatches the box. Curls of fragrant smoke envelop the cocktail and me, and when I take a taste, hints of wood smoke mingle with the Blue Note Bourbon, a small-batch spirit made in Memphis.
The cocktail is an unexpected success, says general manager Matt Williams in late December. “One week, we sold 256 of them,” he says. “We’ve already gone through a barrel of bourbon.”
While the drink’s popularity may be a surprise, the restaurant’s win as the best new restaurant of the year certainly is not. Moondance is the 12th restaurant for Tommy and Liz Peters, who also own Itta Bena, B.B. King’s, and Lafayette’s in Overton Square. At Moondance, located next door to the GPAC amphitheater, the restaurateurs’ expertise translates into an inviting piano bar, a dining room with warm finishes and tall-back booths, and an unflinching focus on customer service.
Likewise, the menu designed by executive chef Oscar Pena is approachable and built around American classics like lamb lollipops, prime steaks finished with butter and sea salt, and an exceptionally delicious ground chuck burger. (Secret ingredient: a paste made with milk, brioche bread, and a little bacon grease mixed into the meat.) The menu also holds surprises, which we discover on our dinner date. There are starters (ahi tuna stack topped with avocado foam); hand-helds (a pair of lobster rolls on griddled split-top buns); and desserts (a double-fudge chocolate chip brownie so warm and sweet it makes me flush a little).
For entrees, my husband orders a 10-ounce filet. “As good a sear as you can get,” he says with satisfaction. For me, sand dabs, a house specialty fashioned after the dish from San Francisco’s Tadich Grill. When the sand dabs are served, they come with a dish of melted butter, which the pan-seared fish doesn’t need. We use the butter anyway to quickly dunk grilled asparagus, forkfuls of squash medley, and fat steak fries. A little extra, perhaps? Absolutely. — Pamela Denney
1730 S. Germantown Road, Suite 117 (901-755-1471). Open 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Sunday.
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Ronnie Grisanti's creamy burrata with arugula, heirloom tomotoes, and roasted red pepper..
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At Ronnie Grisanti’s Italian Restaurant, Chef Judd Grisanti serves Grisanti family favorites, such as meatballs in pomodoro sauce and asparagus bisque with butter-poached lobster — zuppa di Isabella — along with more contemporary dishes like creamy burrata with arugula, heirloom tomatoes, and roasted red peppers.
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At Ronnie Grisanti’s Italian Restaurant, Chef Judd Grisanti serves Grisanti family favorites, such as meatballs in pomodoro sauce and asparagus bisque with butter-poached lobster — zuppa di Isabella — along with more contemporary dishes like creamy burrata with arugula, heirloom tomatoes, and roasted red peppers.
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Asparagus bisque with butter-poached lobster at Ronnie Grisanti's.
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Chef Judd Grisanti.
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At Ronnie Grisanti’s Italian Restaurant, Chef Judd Grisanti serves Grisanti family favorites, such as meatballs in pomodoro sauce and asparagus bisque with butter-poached lobster — zuppa di Isabella — along with more contemporary dishes like creamy burrata with arugula, heirloom tomatoes, and roasted red peppers.
Ronnie Grisanti’s
Pasta, chocolate cheesecake, and diver scallops encrusted in porcini powder
I’m proud to say I’ve eaten at just about every location of Ronnie Grisanti’s Italian Restaurant.
I frequented Grisanti’s first restaurant, which was next to Sun Studios. I ate mezzo-mezzo (spaghetti and ravioli) with pickled beets and Italian spinach just about every day for lunch after the restaurant moved to Beale Street. I remember his place on Poplar Avenue near the viaduct, which was legendary. The food, atmosphere, employees, photos of Grisanti with his customers on the walls, and Grisanti himself at the door welcoming customers are among my favorite dining out memories. I also ate many meals at his last restaurant inside Collierville’s Sheffield Antiques Mall.
I met Grisanti’s son, Judd Grisanti, when he was a server at the Beale Street location. He went on to cook in the kitchen on Poplar and later joined the list of Grisanti family members who opened their own restaurants in Memphis.
Judd now owns Ronnie Grisanti’s Italian Restaurant in the Regalia Shopping Center. Ronnie’s name is on the sign, but the restaurant is not just a homage to his father, Judd says. “It’s not about Ronnie,” Judd told me right before he opened his new place. “It’s not about Elfo. It’s not about Big John. It’s about all of them. It’s about the heritage, the legacy of the Grisantis. That’s what this restaurant is about.”
All the famous Grisanti Italian dishes are on the menu, but there’s so much more. Judd’s menu is a mix of the traditional dishes with what he calls antico nuevo. “Old World meets the New World,” he explains. Grisanti also makes his own specialty pastas, which he currently sells at the restaurant along with his sauces and dressings.
I ask Judd to select some of his favorite dishes. Among the dishes are la sfoglia rigatoni (“40 egg pasta”) with Grisanti’s meat sauce and fresh diver scallops encrusted in porcini powder with black garlic Parmesan cheese risotto. Dessert includes chocolate cheesecake made from a recipe from Judd’s mother, the late Kay Grisanti. Everything is delicious.
The restaurant’s elegant decor is in shades of burgundy wine and gold. A massive mural by Bill Turri depicts the Grisanti home town of Lucca, Italy. Italian songs — and songs associated with Italy (I heard the theme from The Godfather) — are played during dinner. But just to show how accommodating the restaurant can be, the Italian music is changed to songs by Tammy Wynette and other country artists because Covington Mayor Justin Hanson, who is dining at the restaurant the night I am there, likes country music. I think that is pretty nice. — Michael Donahue
6150 Poplar Avenue, Suite 122 (901-850-0190). Open 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Closed Sunday.
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Tacos are served 11 ways at El Mero Taco.
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Craft cocktails enhance the expanded menu at El Mero Taco.
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Along with tacos and quesadillas, El Mero Taco serves surprises like cauliflower ceviche and crispy nachos topped with Monterey Jack cheese.
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After earning an enthusiastic following with their food truck El Mero, Chefs Clarissa and Jacob Dries (above) opened a permanent location in Cordova.
El Mero Taco
Mimosas, brisket quesadilla, and tacos served 11 ways
On my way to see a movie at the Malco Cordova Cinema, my boyfriend and I decide to meet at El Mero Taco for pre-movie dinner and drinks.
As I pull up to the restaurant tucked away in a plaza off Macon Road, across the street from the theater, I am impressed by its curb appeal. Painted white brick, arched windows, and a patio with a combination of sleek and colorful furniture are nothing short of inviting.
Inside the restaurant, I am greeted by the aroma of taco meats and a menu containing a marriage of Mexican and Southern-style cuisine, separated into tacos and “not tacos” sections and inspired by the creations of owners Clarissa and Jacob Dries.
To start, I order off the “not taco,” or sides and appetizers, menu. I go with the chilaquiles verdes, El Mero’s own spin on nachos: tortilla chips topped with Monterey Jack cheese, salsa verde, Mexican crema, and fried egg — plus an addition of chorizo sausage. To drink, I order an El Mero mimosa made with orange sorbet and prosecco. Both are delicious.
When Christopher arrives, we consult Clarissa and Jacob, who met at culinary school in Austin, Texas, for suggestions on entrees. They suggest we try brisket quesadilla with fresh chimichurri sauce and melted Monterey Jack cheese. “Coming from Austin, we know a little bit about brisket,” Jacob says. “We smoke it for up to 12 hours.”
The brisket, tender and warm and the star of the show, does not disappoint. “The chimichurri adds a complementary spice to it, but not overpowering,” Christopher says. “The cheese is there too, but it is more of an undertone to the dish.”
I opt for another one of Jacob’s suggestions, the Southern-fried chicken taco, plus a chorizo con papas taco and a side of Mexican street corn. The fried chicken taco — the best-selling menu item at the restaurant, for good reason — features a fried chicken tender topped with queso blanco, tomato, in-house pickled jalapeños, and cilantro inside a flour tortilla. My personal favorite, however, is the chorizo con papas taco. The caramelized onions, roasted poblano peppers, sweet potatoes, and Monterey jack cheese tone down the spiciness of the chorizo. And the street corn, chilled off-the-cob corn mixed with Cotija cheese, spicy mayo, red onion, and cilantro, make the perfect accompaniment. — Julia Baker
8100 Macon Station, Suite 102 (901-308-1661). Open 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. Saturday. Closed Monday.
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Chef Terrance Whitley steers a healthy and affordable menu at Inspire Community Cafe.
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The atmosphere at Inspire Community Cafe is, in a word, welcoming.
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Black bean or slow-cooked barbecue chicken at Inspire Community Cafe.
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Inspire Community Cafe offers a healthy and affordable menu.
Inspire Community Café
Rice bowls, strawberry fields, and breakfast all day
The atmosphere at Inspire Community Café is, in a word, welcoming. In fact, the word “welcome” is written in different languages across the top of the massive chalkboard inside, including “bienvenidos,” which I recognize from my high school Spanish classes.
True to the chalk inscription, the little restaurant in the Binghampton neighborhood bustles with customers during my visit for lunch. The cashier — who turns out to be owner/co-founder Kristin Fox-Trautman — greets me warmly and remembers my name later when she rearranges some tables next to me to accommodate a group of women out celebrating with a healthy lunch. Colorful bags stuffed with gifts and crepe paper decorate their table and add to the café’s festive air.
Bob Marley sings softly over the speakers as I order the apple cinnamon pecan double stack with a side of applewood bacon. My date gets the slow-cooked barbecue chicken rice bowl. Bowls at Inspire can be made with rice or quinoa, and, though I can’t speak for the quinoa, the white rice is sticky and delicious and topped with barbecue chicken under a garnish of chopped red onion and cheddar cheese. The double stack of pancakes, dressed with cinnamon-sprinkled pecans and cooked apples, tastes like apple pie, albeit with its sweetness cut for breakfast. It is the perfect treat for a crisp, bright winter afternoon.
It’s no easy feat to decide what to order from that colorful menu; so many delicious dishes clamor for attention. I could spend an afternoon on the coffee and tea options, but after two cups of coffee at the office, I demure. I’m tempted by the breakfast quesadilla, with its eggs, four-cheese blend, veggies, and optional pineapple salsa, and the chicken and spinach Strawberry Fields salad calls to The Beatles maniac in me. I’m pleased with my pecan-topped pancakes, though, and I know I’m just perusing the menu to build anticipation for my next visit.
Since it closes at 6 p.m. weeknights, Inspire would not be available for a fancy dinner date, but the healthy options and low price points make for a delightfully filling and energizing breakfast or lunch — and one that doesn’t sit too heavy on the stomach, inviting afternoon lethargy. I feel refreshed, both by the food and the atmosphere, and I have a hunch Inspire would make a perfect lunch option for an active Saturday. In fact, one of Inspire’s smoothies might be the ideal reward for a hike along the Greenline. Food for thought. — Jesse Davis
510 Tillman, Suite 110 (901-509-8640). Open 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday. closed Sunday.
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Elevated diner food comes together in perfect harmony at 3rd & Court.
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Retro kitsch décor and Chef Ryan Trimm’s elevated diner food come together in perfect harmony at 3rd & Court.
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Deviled eggs are dressed up with roasted pablano, cilantro, cojita, and radishes at 3rd & Court.
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A burger built with two 4-ounce patties, toppings, and American cheese at 3rd & Court.
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Retro kitsch décor at 3rd & Court is a hallmark of the 1950s-style diner.
3rd & Court Diner
Adult shakes, chicken hash bowl, and fried green tomatoes with house-made ranch
If there’s one thing that the Roger Sapp, Craig Blondis, and Ryan Trimm triumvirate do well, it’s food. After concocting the smash hit that is Sunrise Memphis, the trio return in force with the time machine that is 3rd & Court Diner, situated on the ground floor of Downtown Memphis’ new Hotel Indigo. The upscale, 1950s-style diner welcomes Memphians and out-of-town visitors alike with wide views of surrounding Downtown and a steady soundtrack of old-time blues and soul tunes. With that in mind, the menu is designed to offer recognizable, accessible, and, crucially, affordable comfort food.
The all-day breakfast menu dishes out staples like biscuits & gravy or French toast, while heartier options like the chicken hash bowl can be filling. The breakfast sandwich, served with a fried egg and choice of breakfast meat, is elevated when placed atop a local Dave’s “everything” bagel. For a caffeine kick, 3rd & Court’s coffee bar has enough options to satisfy anyone from Folgers absolutists to Italian espresso enthusiasts, with myriad varieties and modifications like lavender, honey, vanilla, soy milk, or oat milk.
But it’s not just breakfast on the menu. The daily blue plate specials run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and feature plenty of diversity with selections including smothered pork, fried shrimp, fried chicken, or even speckled trout.
Each meal is best opened with one of the creative appetizers. The chili cheese fries pay tribute to a Southwestern-style Frito pie, while the fried green tomatoes meld especially well with the homemade ranch dressing. The curry cauliflower bisque, meanwhile, sets up a light and spicy entry for one of 3rd & Court’s many sandwiches. The diner burger slaps two juicy patties together with the usual suspects for toppings, but don’t sniff at the finely grilled poultry on the chicken Philly.
The bartenders can whip up chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry milkshakes (or root beer/coke floats) for kids (or adults!) at the counter, while socialites prepping for a night out can select one of the diner’s specialty cocktails. The bright margarita upended any preconceived notion I might have had when it hit me with its powerful pineapple kick.
Whatever you choose, 3rd & Court captures the essence of an old-school diner for the modern age. And if the old-timey tracks playing in the background aren’t enough, hop over to the lounge for live soul or jazz music every weekend. — Samuel X. Cicci
24 N. B.B. King Blvd. (901-930-0793). 7 a.m. – 10 p.m. for breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week.
