Traveling

I love to travel. Unfortunately, I hate flying.

I'm going to grade AP exams next week, and I have to fly to get there.

Thus, I am far too stressed out to say anything clever.

Memphis Nosh: Local on the Square (Local Gastropub)

My friend AL and I decided to go to lunch today - it's too pretty out to sit in an office all day!

And we wanted some bar fries.

Bar fries, for the uninitiated, are Local's fries covered in blue cheese dressing, blue cheese crumbles, and bacon. So they're basically amazing.

We've been talking about bar fries for weeks, and today we finally made it. Best. Decisions. Ever.

I eat at Local A LOT (and drink there more probably). And it's always good. I'd never been at lunch before, and I will say that the lunch service is a little slower. Our waitress, Rachel I think, was great, but it took us awhile to get noticed at the host stand and there seemed to be a lot of confusion over sections and where food went.

(Also, just a weird side note, one of their kitchen employees almost hit our car with his while parking illegally, and the woman who did finally seat us wasn't dressed as a hostess, which is a huge departure from the regular night shifts when it's busier - this doesn't mean don't go there, it just means Memphis drivers are awful and sometimes people take a minute, but it was weird enough to comment on.)

However, once we were seated, things picked right up. I had the Short Rib Reuben, and AL had the Kickin' Chicken Club. My reuben had short ribs in this amazing, almost barbeque sauce, a huge slice of gouda, firecracker slaw, and chipotle aioli on rye bread. Absolutely amazing. I don't like a ton of slaw, so I took some of it off, and I got my aioli on the side because I'm weird like that, but it was so good. I don't usually even like reubens, but this was one of the best sandwiches I've ever had. AL's sandwich had lettuce, red onion, tomato jam, tabasco mayo, grilled chicken, bacon, and cheddar on a PRETZEL BUN. Angels actually sang.

For an upcharge, we got bar fries instead of regular fries as our side. They were, as always, so good.

That's my sandwich with my bar fries. And AL's bar fries in the background. The fries were cooked perfectly, and, as you can see by the fork in the picture, there was a ton of food. We each took some fries and half of our sandwiches home, so for lunch, it might be better to do what we've decided, which is to split a sandwich and get bar fries as an appetizer. Or gorge yourself on lunch. Or eat all you can and have leftovers. Delicious, glorious leftovers. 

I've gone to Local a lot - it's close to my house, everyone is super friendly, they have a great setup with a dining room and large bar downstairs and lounge and smaller bar upstairs. I actually, kind of embarrassingly, was there having a beer with my roommate last night.

He had the burger (I ate at Chiwawa while watching Princess Bride, so I had a Bud Light for second dinner), which I didn't get a picture of, but which I've had a billion times and love (AL pointed out that it does come a little more medium rare than medium, so tell them if you don't like your food to moo at you).

A few weeks ago I went on a Dishcrawl (on Twitter @dishcrawlmem) with Kirby, and our last stop (after Chiwawa, Le Chardonnay, and Bosco's) was Local. We had this beauty for dessert:

It's their bread pudding and something else. I can't actually believe I got a picture before I inhaled it. I have no shame. I rarely get dessert because I eat so much there, but this was worth the suffering. 

This is my favorite drink at Local, The Southern Belle. I like all their drinks, but this one is especially good. It's Hendrick's gin, egg white, lemon, pomegranate, and sugar. So it's classy/drunk in a glass. At $9 each, they're pricey, but I'm always willing to pay a little more for quality and good, local, thoughtful food and drinks. My bill today, with tip, was about $24, which is high for lunch, but I have another meal worth of leftovers and the patio, company, and amazing food were worth it. 

Local is open everyday from 11am to 3am, and they're located at the corner of Cooper and Madison, 2126 Madison Ave. You can also follow them on Twitter: @localgastropub. 

Call me if you go. :)

Memphis Nosh: Fun Weekend with Gus's, Tony Bennett, and Midtown Walgreens Adventures

Yesterday, my friend Kirby and I went to see Tony Bennett at the Memphis Botanic Garden's Live at the Garden Series. The concert was pretty great - he only performed for about 45 minutes, but he is 87 years old, and his voice is still amazing, particularly on "Cold, Cold Heart" and "Maybe this Time."

Our seats weren't actually bad - it's pick your own, with some tables and areas for people who pay more, but even the garden seating is good. Here's my awful photo:

It is kind of a hike from the parking lot to the garden, but if you go, suck it up and take lawn chairs and a cooler. It makes all the difference. The people in front of us had this amazing picnic basket set, like this one:

Before the concert, we went to Gus's on Mendenhall. I'm still in a fried chicken coma. 

Image via gusmendenhall.com

Gus's is, without a doubt, the best fried chicken I've ever had. We started with some tea and fried pickles (this location has chips, not spears, which are, in my opinion, a much better pickle to breading ratio), and each got the two piece white meat plate. I had mac n' cheese and fries, since beans are the devil's food and I'm not a huge slaw fan, while Kirby had beans and fries. 

Image via roadfood.com.

Notice that I only took one of these pictures myself, this one of my tea:

That's the problem with Gus's - I just want to eat it, not look at it. In my defense, I was also starving, and these are some giant pieces of chicken, so you want to get in there and immediately stab it so it's not molten lava grease and chicken when you throw caution (and dignity) to the wind and start snarling and gnawing it off the bone. Or maybe that's just me. 

There isn't even really a way to describe this chicken. It's spicy, but flavorful, greasy, but not too greasy (and that piece of white bread they give you is to soak up the grease - eat a piece of chicken, ball up a little piece of bread after, eat it, you're not as greasy anymore - but I've had many Gus's first timers ask me why there was no butter...), the tea is sweet enough without actually killing you, so the perfect Memphis style tea, and just weird enough that it's wonderful. The Mendenhall location is more convenient for me, but the downtown location is great too. I also love that this location does reusable cups, since it balances out the insane number of Central Barbeque cups I have in my cabinets. 

I only have two complaints about Gus's, and one isn't really their fault necessarily. Our hostess was not really into her job, which I get, since she's a hostess, but she is getting paid to be there, and she gets to work at Gus's, which is way better than anywhere I ever hosted at, so a little better of an attitude would have been nice (and, this is not her fault at all, but she sat us next to these people who were so not into personal boundaries). Second, let's talk about the mac n' cheese. 

I am a devotee of Central's mac. A little salt, a little pepper, some dry rub seasoning, dear lord. And I wanted some cheesy noodle deliciousness yesterday. But Gus's just doesn't do it. It's not really the right temperature, and way overcooked, and has an odd combination of melty cheese and not melted shredded cheese. It's not awful, and I definitely don't go to Gus's for the sides, but in a city where mac n' cheese is considered a vegetable side item and staple, it could be better. 

Other than that, great stuff. My total was about $13 for tea, 2 giant pieces of chicken, half of the fried pickles app we split, two sides, and that piece of napkin bread, and $16 with tip. It's fast and convenient too, which helps. 

And, on Saturday night, at 2 in the morning at the Walgreens on Union, I bought this guy, the most appropriately named nail polish for my life ever: 

Image is mine, but the nail polish is Essie's "The Girls Are Out" on www.essie.com. 

Because buying nail polish, ice cream, Diet Cokes, and toothpaste at 2 am, after having a 20 minute conversation with the security guard about the time he got hit in the back of the head with a 2x4 by his ex-girlfriend, is pretty indicative of having one's life together.

Fun weekend - tonight it's off to ¡Chiwawa! to watch "The Princess Bride" on their patio and eat some guacamole!

Domestic Peace

All three pets, Petunia, Campbell, and my cat Oliver, are asleep on my bed right now.

They're all getting along.

They're all being still.

No one is doing anything gross.

No one is trying to drink my Diet Coke.

They're all quiet.

Too bad there isn't any room for me.

Rainy Friday

It's Friday, and I'm at work. And it's rainy. I love my job, but staying in bed with a novel and my pets sounds pretty awesome.

However, it's hard to complain when this is your reading for the day (in between answering phone calls and giving directions to baby college students...):

That's right, one of my comps (big historiographical hoops to jump through) is on fringe religious groups and witches in early modern Europe. And I have iced coffee. 

Memphis Nosh: ¡Chiwawa!

¡Chiwawa!

So here's the first in my series of answers to the eternal "where should I eat in Memphis?" question. There are a TON of amazing food bloggers in this city (I Love Memphis, Best Memphis Burger, Dining with Monkeys, Cooking4Carnivores, Hungry Memphis, and many more) and, while this isn't a food blog per say, it is about my life in Memphis, and I eat out a lot, and I love the local Memphis food scene, especially in my neighborhood. So, here you go.

Last night my roommate, my friend Kirby, and her little girl and I all went to ¡Chiwawa! for their $4 glasses of Cono Sur wine and half-price apps (buy a glass of wine, get half off an app). It was a little cloudy, but nice out, so we opted for the patio.

¡Chiwawa! has one of the best patios in Memphis. It's right on Madison, so you get to see people walking by, and it's breezy enough that even when it's warm, you don't feel like you're dying. Also, at night, the "Midtown is Memphis" sign lights up and they have great string lights. It feels like a classier (and boozier) version of a backyard barbeque.


Image via choose901.com.


Image via www.commercialappeal.com

The inside is nice too, but it's a little crowded, we had an almost 2 year old, and I'm a patio sitter.

Our server, Noah, has waited on us before, and he was great again. We got some waters, some wine (the Riesling and the Pinot Noir were both really good - and even better for $4!), and ordered some apps.

The Queso ¡Chiwawa!, which has queso blanco, chorizo, pico, and poblano is always amazing. The chips could be a little more consistent, but I'd say they're about 96% fresh, 4% kind of squishy (that's the technical term). We also got the Juan-Tons, which I really wish they would make as a dip, because, while the little deep fried bundles of chicken, chorizo, and cheese are delicious, they're really hard to eat. That didn't stop us, it was just messy. :) We also got the special that day. I don't know what it's called, but I'm marrying it. Their hand-cut fries topped with queso blanco, carne asada, pico, sour cream, and jalapenos. Maybe some pico too? I don't know, because I didn't even get a pic before it was half gone.

For the tiny human, we got the kids hot dog and fries. I think the adults ate half of it, and the homemade pretzel bun was almost perfect (if it had some salt it would have been there - as it was we dipped it in the queso and gained 80 lbs). Very kid friendly, and delicious for us too.

Here's the aftermath:

That's my wine (Pinot Noir), a chip, a Juan Ton, the bit of fries that were about to get eaten, the hot dog (silly child wouldn't eat the bun...doesn't know what she's missing!) and fries, and my roommate's beer. 

I had two three glasses of wine, and we all split the apps, and tax is included on the menu, so my total was $16, plus tip. Not bad for some great food, great company, and a wonderful patio. You can also bring kids/dogs to the patio and feel totally comfortable - I'm a happily childless adult and loved hanging out with the little one, and our dogs are definitely going to beg for food there soon. 

You can see their menu on their Facebook page (linked at the top), and follow ¡Chiwawa! on Twitter - @chiwawamidtown. 

After our wonderful food decisions, we walked to YoLo. And ate gelato. At least we walked the 6 blocks home from Carb Night? 

My lesson for today.