For those who prefer their cocktails with a side of shuffleboard, fret not: Longshot, the Arrive Memphis hotel’s bar and restaurant, is back after a brief hiatus. Chef David Todd and Co. found themselves in a tricky spot when covid-19 forced the South Main restaurant to close in early 2020, only a few months after its debut. But a fresh start brings fresh opportunities, and diners can expect to see a fully revamped menu when they settle in at one of Longshot’s cognac leather booths.
Todd returned to Longshot after a short furlough with the goal of reopening by January of this year, but a surge in coronavirus cases pushed the date back a few more months. That gave him extra time to fine-tune a reimagined menu.
“This is pretty much a complete departure from the opening menu that I started with,” says Todd. “We were doing the sausages, and it was a much more snacky, shared-plate theme for the food. So when they brought me back on, I asked if I could change the menu, and they were very supportive.”
Gone is the focus on house-made sausages, replaced by a selection of dishes that Todd has spent eight months curating. And many of the entrees are recipes he’s refined for years, inspired by styles and cuisines around the world. “I kind of meander through all genres of food,” he laughs. “I’ve worked at places like Acre, Green Beetle, Schweinehaus, Interim, bouncing between fine dining and bar food. So there are a lot of influences in what I cook.”
And that’s reflected clearly on Longshot’s menu. Diners can zip around the globe at will, sampling anything from a Hawaiian fish dish to Moroccan ribs. Even for those selections that hew closer to home, one can bet that Todd will spice up tradition with a unique flourish. For starters, it’s tough to beat the curry cauliflower, flash-fried (not breaded) with Thai coconut milk, and mixed with cilantro, cashews, and a dash of lime.
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Soy ginger catfish
Soy ginger catfish, cooked in a soy ginger glaze but served atop charred carrot coconut grits.
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Coconut curry cauliflower
Coconut curry cauliflower, flash-fried (not breaded) with Thai coconut milk, and mixed with cilantro, cashews, and a dash of lime.
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Tune Poke "Nachos"
Tuna Poke "Nachos," with fish tossed in a mixture of white soy, regular soy sauce, and sesame oil. Plus, togarashi aioli, avocado cream, cilantro and Napa cabbage slaw tossed in mirin and honey.
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KFC Sandwich
The KFC, or "Korean fried chicken" sandwich.
Seafood buffs, on the other hand, can go with the tuna poke “nachos,” the fish tossed in a mixture of white soy, regular soy sauce, and sesame oil. “There’s a little bit of togarashi aioli,” says Todd. “Some avocado cream, and I make a quick slaw with cilantro and Napa cabbage tossed in some mirin and a little bit of honey. Then you’ve got pickled red onions in there. You’re bouncing through a lot with this dish, but I like things that, when you’re eating them, different sensations are coming across your palate.”
The comforts of home are present in Todd’s catfish, but with a twist. “It’s a very Southern base, but I blow the dish up from there,” he says. “It’s something I’ve been working on for a couple years.” The catfish is cooked in a soy ginger glaze, but served atop charred carrot coconut grits. Todd starts by charring and pureeing the carrots, and then cooks them in coconut milk.
“Then while I’m making the grits, I use half the amount of liquid that I normally would,” he says. “The second half of the liquid is the charred carrot and coconut milk that soaks into the grits. So it makes them really rich and creamy.”
In its original guise, Longshot featured sausages from around the world. That global focus continues the second time around, but dishes don’t find their way onto the menu just to tick a cosmopolitan box. “We do have a lot of international influence,” explains Todd, “but I like to say that it’s influenced by flavor. Anything I’ve encountered in my career that tastes good, I try to work it in somewhere.”
One surprise addition to the menu was the KFC (Korean fried chicken) sandwich, which former Arrive Memphis managing director James Siao cooked for Todd during the restaurant’s hiatus. An openness to new ideas, both in and out of the kitchen, is part of Todd’s ethos when it comes to creating a menu.
“You want to stay true to who you are as a chef,” he says, “but it’s important to cover a lot of bases for diners. Say you’ve got a group of friends. Someone’s a vegetarian, someone else only eats spicy food. We want to have enough diversity among our food — even more so with seasonal specials that we’ll start having soon — so that everyone in a group will be happy to come to Longshot.”
Longshot is located at the Arrive Memphis hotel at 477 S. Main (entrance on Butler Ave.). 901-896-0228. Open Tuesday-Thursday, 5 p.m.-11 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 5 p.m.-midnight. $-$$. longshotmemphis.com
